Andes Mint Cupcakes

Andes Mint Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I was looking through a link party and saw these Andes Mint Cupcakes. I went to the Kurtz Corner and was reading the posting when Little Chef A came over and asked what I was doing. She saw them and thought they looked “soooo good!” I knew right then and there we were going to make these soon!
The first part is very simple; make a batch of chocolate cupcakes according to the box directions. Little Chef A has learned so much she was able to do it by herself. Of course I still supervised, but she was able to do it all! When she cracked the egg she said, “Hey I didn’t get a shell in the bowl!” When using the mixer I asked if she knew the trick. She said, “Keep it in the mixture.” It was not even a minute later when she lifted the mixer up. Pretending I did not see that I said, “What happens if you lift the mixer up?” “Oh I forgot! Good thing I didn’t lift it up too much!” I felt the same way!

The easiest method we came up with to fill the liners was to transfer the mix to a bowl with a spout. This seemed much less messy then spooning it out. I was waiting for her to tell me we needed the scoop you always see on Cupcake Wars, but she didn’t. However, I do see why they use that! Every cupcake is the same height…ours are VERY different. We might need to invest in that tool next!

While the cupcakes were baking Little Chef A made the chocolate filling. The only tricky part was getting the powdered sugar out of the bag into the measuring cup and not all over the entire kitchen!

Little Chef A and her Dad went shopping for the missing ingredients before beginning this recipe. They could not find a squeeze bottle so we decided to use a pastry bag instead. We either used a tip with a opening too small, or something went wrong with the filling because it was VERY hard for her to squeeze out the filling. Some cupcakes had a lot and some a very tiny amount. It was hard for her to judge because she did not see her results. I think we need a few tips and hints on how to do this step!

Frosting was one of her favorite steps. She chose the tip she wanted to use and swirled it around the top until it was covered. Next she shook on some of the remaining filling with a fork and added a mint. Her masterpiece was complete. She was very proud of her work! In fact she was so proud we had to invite the neighbors over to share!

While tasting we decided we would like the mint flavor in the cupcakes and in the frosting, not just in the filling.

Cook your cupcakes like you would normally according to the box directions. (I don’t have the time or patience to make cupcakes from scratch, the boxed kind is good enough for me!) While your cupcakes are cooking you will need to make your cupcake mint filling.

Chocolate Mint Filling:

2/3 cup chocolate chips

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Mint Filling: Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave stirring in 30 second intervals until fully melted. Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar. Funnel your chocolate mint filling into your squeeze bottle. Once your cupcakes are ready fill each with your chocolate mint filling while they are still warm. Hold your squeeze for 3 to 5 seconds (I made 2 or 3 holes per cupcake)

Next, you’ll want to make your mint green icing. Combine your icing with several drops of lime green food coloring. Start with 3 or 4 and keep adding until you have your desired green color. Use a piping bag to pipe on your icing. Garnish with left over chocolate mint filling and one Andes mint.